The Festivals of God - Pt 2

Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates. For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:8-11 ESV). There is no doubt that God created a Sabbath for men. The religious leaders of Jesus’ day made much ado about the keeping of this weekly observance. In answer to this Jesus reminded them that the Sabbath was created for man, not man for the Sabbath (cf. Mark 2:27). It is natural for us to ask whether it still matters. One man challenged another to an all-day wood chopping contest. The challenger worked very hard, stopping only for a brief lunch break. The other man had a leisurely lunch and took several breaks during the day. At the end of the day, the challenger was surprised and annoyed to find that the other fellow had chopped substantially more wood than he had. "I don't get it," he said. "Every time I checked, you were taking a rest, yet you chopped more wood than I did." "But you didn't notice," said the winning woodsman, "that I was sharpening my ax when I sat down to rest." There is some of that truth within the importance of keeping the “Sabbath” today. There are those who would call us to a very strict interpretation of the time of Sabbath. For the Jew it was to be observed from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. J. Vernon McGee tells this story about a man who wanted to argue about the Sabbath. The man said, "I'll give you $100 if you will show me where the Sabbath day has been changed." McGee answered, "I don't think it has been changed. Saturday is Saturday, it is the seventh say of the week, and it is the Sabbath day. I realize our calendar has been adjusted, and can be off a few days, but we won't even consider that point. The seventh day is still Saturday, and it is still the Sabbath day." He got a gleam in his eye and said, "Then why don't you keep the Sabbath day if it hasn't been changed?" McGee answered, "The DAY hasn't changed, but I have been changed. I've been given a new nature now, I am joined to Christ; I am a part of the new creation. We celebrate the first day because that is the day He rose from the grave." That is what it means that the ordinances have been nailed to the cross (cf. Colossians 2:14). There should be a time set aside in your life to gather with the community of Christ and study, pray, and worship. However, it is not because of the requirement of the Law; it is due to the great gift of reconciliation through the work of Christ. It is a time of celebration we are called to observe. Once a week is not too often to set aside for that kind of party! That will bring rest to your weary minds and hearts!